Chapter 702

Chapter 702: Spoils of War

The Great Ascension Master was completely panicked; the worst-case scenario had unfolded.

He had initially thought that suppressing these three Core Formation stage cultivators, grabbing the celestial tool, and teleporting back to their trade association’s headquarters—where several Great Ascension Masters were stationed—would be straightforward.

As long as he made it back, regardless of whether he used the celestial tool himself, he would undoubtedly reap the greatest benefits.

But he never expected that suppressing these three Core Formation stage cultivators would be so difficult, and there was even a chance they could fight back.

"Don’t be so down. Since you can’t escape, fight with everything you’ve got. At least you still have a sliver of hope," Xiong Li said as he charged at the Great Ascension Master again, his enormous hammer in hand.

The battle raged on, and a glimmer of determination flashed in the Great Ascension Master’s eyes.

However, as the fight dragged on, his expression gradually shifted to despair.

The relentless strain and defensive maneuvers meant his magical abilities and defensive artifacts could only land on Xiong Li, but to no real effect.

Shadow Spike’s repeated lethal strikes, combined with Han Feiyu’s sword formation, left the Great Ascension Master utterly drained, both physically and mentally.

For years, even in battles against the beast race, he had never felt so cornered—it was as if a lump of blood was stuck in his throat, impossible to spit out or swallow.

By now, the three had grown even more cautious, aware that they were engaged in a desperate struggle.

In such situations, the danger often escalated as the end drew near. All three remained highly alert, ignoring the minor openings the Great Ascension Master deliberately left.

Xiong Li swung his hammer once more at the Great Ascension Master.

With a sharp crack, the defensive artifact protecting the Great Ascension Master finally reached its limit, and the protective shield shattered.

The enormous hammer slammed hard into the Great Ascension Master’s chest.

The Great Ascension Master was sent flying like a shooting star, crashing into the distance.

The moment he was sent flying, the three began a heated discussion.

"Great opportunity—should we go for it?" Shadow Spike asked.

"Let’s play it safe. We just got intel on this Great Ascension Master—he still has another defensive artifact," Han Feiyu cautioned.

"Something feels off. Let’s stay steady," Xiong Li decided.

The Great Ascension Master’s body smashed through a small, dilapidated building, and he lay there, staring at the sky, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Are they all thousand-year-old foxes? How can they resist so well?"

Seeing his baiting tactics fail, the Great Ascension Master’s despair deepened.

"This is quite interesting. The combat and enemy-handling experience here is truly top-notch," Xu Fan remarked with admiration.

"What an intense battle," Xu Gang added, his eyes gleaming with battle intent. Having been stationed at the sect for so long, he hadn’t fought in ages.

"If you’re itching for a fight, have them retrieve the Great Ascension Master’s true spirit and set up a simulated battlefield. You can jump in and see if you can suppress him alone," Xu Fan suggested.

"I just envy that they can fight with everything they’ve got. As for this Great Ascension Master, he wouldn’t last long under me," Xu Gang said confidently. He was now at the peak of the Core Formation stage, and his understanding of the way of the five elements was nearing the realm of natural law.

In recent years, while Xu Fan had been in slumber, Xu Gang had stayed by his side, honing his skills, and hadn’t shown much of his strength in front of the Hidden Spirit Sect disciples.

"How about we spar?" Xu Fan suggested to his eager first disciple.

Xu Gang instinctively shook his head—he knew the difference between a fight and a beating.

"Master’s every move affects the disciple’s heart; it’s better not to practice," Xu Gang said, shaking his head.

The other disciples laughed.

"Alright, the Great Ascension Master opposite has panicked; the battle should be over now," Xu Fan glanced at the light curtain and remarked.

Indeed, with a small combination of efforts, Xiong Li sent the Great Ascension Master soaring into the sky with his heavy hammer.

In the air, Shadow Spike effortlessly directed the short Spiritual Sword into the Great Ascension Master’s dantian.

The short sword from Shadow Spike shattered the Great Ascension Master’s dantian, forcing the true spirit out.

Seeing this, the three let out a long breath simultaneously; they knew they had won the battle.

The Great Ascension Master’s true spirit, realizing the three had no intention of capturing him, tried instinctively to break through the space and escape.

After all, the true spirit could travel through space much better than the true form.

However, the Great Ascension Master’s attempt to transform into his true spirit failed once more.

"Ah!!!"

"You really won’t leave me a single path to live; then let’s die together!!"

The originally Qing Ling-colored true spirit of the Great Ascension Master suddenly swelled up, its color changing from Qing Ling to red, as if its clothes were about to burst apart.

The others, including Xiong Li, merely looked at him lightly, showing little reaction.

After all, cleaning the battlefield was Grapes’ job, and it was done quickly and efficiently.

At that moment, a net appeared in the void, capturing the Great Ascension Master’s true spirit so that it vanished from sight.

All the space rings and treasures on the Great Ascension Master appeared before the three.

"Time to collect our rewards~" Shadow Spike said, grinning as he looked at the floating space rings, feeling he was one step closer to that celestial tool.

"Senior Brother, how much more do you need to exchange for the celestial tool?" Shadow Spike asked.

"After saving for so many years, I’ve only managed to accumulate about thirty percent. With these, I should barely reach forty percent," Xiong Li chuckled. His technique consumed resources heavily, and accumulating this much over the years had not been easy.

The two naturally overlooked Han Feiyu, as there were already rumors within the sect.

It was said that Han Feiyu had donated an extraordinary treasure to the sect, receiving rich rewards from the Grand Elder, resulting in piles of defensive artifacts and several celestial tools, which led to the topic being dismissed.

"Junior Brother, the celestial tool from the Blind Box you opened should be mine, right?" Shadow Spike said with a grin.

"Get lost!" Han Feiyu shot Shadow Spike a glare.

"You forgot our agreement; from now on, you’ll call me Han Brother."

"Didn’t you also get nothing good? You deliberately placed those things in the space rings, didn’t you?" Shadow Spike joked.

"If I hadn’t placed them in, how could you have gotten so much?" Han Feiyu said as he opened the Great Ascension Master’s space rings one by one.

In no time, various Spiritual Treasures, spirit herbs, and spirit ore piled up into a small mountain.

"With all these items, shouldn’t you call me Han Brother?" Han Feiyu looked at the several defensive artifacts.

"Why say that? Let’s quickly divide the spoils."

"As per the usual rules, Senior Brother takes forty percent, and the rest we divide equally," Shadow Spike changed the subject.

"Let’s divide it; this battle was truly enjoyable," Xiong Li said, glancing at the spoils, not too concerned.

What really mattered to him were the flaws he had exposed during the fight and the completion rate of their sect’s tasks.

"The main attacker gets forty percent; that rule can’t change," Han Feiyu stated, not too worried about it; the total value likely wasn’t even half of a celestial tool.

"Then it’s settled."

"Grapes, exchange my share of the spoils for points," Xiong Li instructed.

"Mine too~"

"So is mine~"

A teleportation formation appeared beneath the pile of spoils, and everything was finally transported to the Hidden Spirit Sect’s treasury.